Cuomo proposes gun safety measure expansion

At a news conference Tuesday, Gov. Andrew Cuomo proposed an expansion to a bill that would give teachers the power to go to court to prevent a student from accessing a gun

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Gov. Andrew Cuomo has proposed an expansion to his Extreme Risk Protection Order bill that would give teachers the power to go to court to prevent a student’s access to guns.

Cuomo said the measure gives that power to teachers and school administrators who believe a student might use guns to be a danger to themselves or others.

“If a teacher believes there is a troubled student who might be dangerous, that teacher has the legal authority to go to a judge directly,” Cuomo said.

A judge could then determine whether the student needs a mental health exam, and whether the student’s or their family’s guns should be taken away.

The session is scheduled to end in a couple of weeks, and Cuomo concedes that he does not expect the measure to pass in the state Senate, which is gridlocked with 31 seats each in the Democratic and Republican factions.

But Cuomo said he believes people in the state overwhelmingly support the measure and predicted that it will become an election issue in the fall.

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